Dr. Martin Luther King; a Dream Come True? Essay

During the Civil Rights Movement, a man named name Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up as a leader in order to help end racial segregation. During this time and the many years before it, African Americans suffered greatly. Dr. King’s â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech made a huge turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and opened the door to equality. On August 28, 1963, King gives his speech for freedom. He begins by stating the emancipation of the slaves, issued by Abraham Lincoln and mentions that blacks are still not free. He is very persuasive and passionate while also being aggressive and confrontational. King, along with his supporters, demands a fast and radical change rather than a slow process. Although demanding, King is a very peaceful person and hopes to obtain equality through non-violent actions. His use of Ghanaian style protest proved to be the most humble and effective approach. He knows that fighting violence with violence will only create an endless cycle of fighting, cruelty, and suffering. After stating his demands, he moves on to what many people would call the most memorable part of the speech, which is his â€Å"I have a dream† part. In that part he laid out his vision and hopes for the Civil Rights movement. The ultimate message from his speech is equality among all people not just African Americans. Forty-nine years has passed since this legendary speech, which begs the question; Did Dr. King’s dreams come true? This is not a perfect world and there will always be some sort of conflict or imperfection when it comes to true equality, but that being said, I think that his dream has come true. His dream was that people would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character; that segregation would end; and that all men, women, and children could live as free human beings. In some ways, Dr. King’s dream has come true. African American students can go to schools with white students, they can all eat in the same restaurants together, and some even marry one another. Segregation is kept out of school and communities so the children of today are able to have better lives. His dream was that everyone could be free. It seems clear that life in the South has improved for African- Americans. African-Americans have become professionals and teachers and even Mayors of cities and towns throughout the South. Black Congressmen and women have been elected from the South. In the North, Blacks have also progressed in all walks of life. One African-American of mixed heritage grew up to be elected to the Illinois State House and the United States Senate and made it all the way to the White House. The ability of Barack Obama to become President was made possible by Dr. King and his comrades who brought the Civil Rights movement to all of our doorsteps. There will always be some form of racism out there, but at this point it’s just regarded simply as ignorance. Right now, racism isn’t even close to how it was nearly fifty years ago. For the most part, people treat each other equally. Any opportunity for a white man is the same opportunity for a black man. There are no limitations to anyone based on race. Equality has definitely gotten a lot better ever since Dr. King’s speech. Dr. King’s dream has certainly come true in many ways. Take President Obama for example; the first African American president in U.S. history after all the bad that’s happened like slavery and unfair treatment against blacks. We have come from being in the slave house to the white house. The Civil Rights Movement definitely helped the progression of African American’s rights in America. With public demonstrations, rallies, boycotts and freedom rides, the African American race was given the right to ride on the same public transportation, eat at the same restaurants, and go to the same schools as the white race. The Civil Rights Movement also gave African Americans the right to register to vote. Since Martin Luther King’s time, there have emerged many African Americans who have become very successful and influential like Oprah Winfrey, Sean â€Å"P. Diddy† Combs, and Shawn â€Å"Jay-Z† Carter to name a few. We have accomplished and are doing so many good things and have become very proud people. There are still many people out there who are racist, make racist remarks, and feel like other races are different in a bad way. That being said, the level of significance in racism is nowhere near how it was before. As previously stated, this isn’t a perfect world and there will always be ignorance everywhere. If that disparity in behavior can’t be completely eradicated, will the Black man ever be truly free? Dr. King initiated a huge improvement in the freedom for many and he was definitely successful, but at this point it is up to the individuals to make a difference for themselves whenever they face ignorance.